The National Association for Environmental Management (NAEM) is the largest professional association for corporate environment, health and safety (EHS) and sustainability decision-makers. We are dedicated to empowering our members to advance environmental stewardship, create safe and healthy workplaces, and promote global sustainability.

Timeline of Key Environmental Legislation

April 2011

The timeline in this section provides an overview of the major environmental events and legislation in the United States, starting with the first Earth Day in 1970.

Overview

Environmental, health and safety managers continually deal with changes and updates to standards and regulations. The timeline in this section provides an overview of the major environmental events and legislation in the United States, starting with the first Earth Day celebrated in 1970.

Timeline

Timeline of Environmental Milestones

1970: 20 million people celebrate the first Earth Day

1970: President Richard Nixon establishes the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency with the mission to protect the environment and public health

1970: Congress amends the Clean Air Act to set national standards for air quality, auto emission and anti-pollution

1971: Congress restricts lead-based paint in homes and on cribs and toys

1972: EPA bans DDT, a cancer-causing pesticide, and requires review of all pesticides

1972: United States and Canada agree to clean up the Great Lakes, which contain 95 percent of America’s fresh water and supply 25 million people with drinking water

1972: Congress passes the Clean Water Act, limiting raw sewage and other pollutants flowing into lakes, rivers and streams

2005: EPA issues the Clean Air Act Interstate Rule to achieve the largest reduction in air pollution in more than a decade, by permanently capping SO₂ and NOx emissions in the eastern US

2005: National Performance Track program reaches 400 members

2006: EPA’s WaterSense program is created to protect the future water supply with practical ways to use less water

2006: EPA issues the Ground Water Rule to reduce the risk of contamination in public water systems that use ground water

2007: BP Products North America, Inc. agrees to pay the largest criminal fine to date for air violations, including a $62 million criminal fine plus $400 million on safety upgrades. The penalty was for a 2005 refinery explosion that killed 15 and the 2006 oil spill on the Alaskan tundra, which violated the Clean Air and Water Acts

2008: Stronger lead standards require a tenfold decrease in lead levels

2009: President Barack Obama announces a program that sets the nation’s first-ever greenhouse gas emission standards for cars

2009: President Barack Obama signs an Executive Order recognizing the Chesapeake Bay as a national treasure and calling the federal government to lead a renewed effort to restore and protect it and its watershed

2010: EPA proposes stricter health standards for smog

2010: The BP-operated Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico explodes, killing 11 workers and releases about 4.9 million barrels of crude oil, the largest spill in U.S. history

2010: President Barack Obama signs an Executive Order forming the Gulf Coast Ecosystem Restoration Task Force, which will coordinate efforts to implement restoration programs and projects in the region

2010: EPA finalizes a run on the greenhouse gas reporting requirements for facilities that use geologic sequestration

2010: EPA establishes a Chesapeake Bay "pollution diet” to reduce nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment from the surrounding area to put needed pollution controls in place by 2025

2011: EPA proposes a national standard for mercury pollution from power plants, requiring many to install pollution control technologies to cut emissions. The standard is projected to prevent as many as 17,000 premature deaths and 11,000 heart attacks a year

Today the National Association for Environmental Management (NAEM) announced they are partnering with the Center for Retail Compliance (CRC) to encourage knowledge-sharing about best practices in environmental compliance.

NAEM's 2017 EHS&S Software Buyers Guide report reveals that 'Working to provide Greater External Transparency' is among the top reasons why companies are shopping for commercial software to track environment, health and safety and sustainability performance. The expectation for external transparency about environment, health and safety, and sustainability (EHS&S) performance is driving more companies to the commercial software market, according to a research report released today by the National Association for Environmental Management (NAEM).